


Torn Between Two Duelists

by Egyptian_Queen



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu-Gi-Oh! Series
Genre: Angst, Break Up, Duel Monsters, Duelling, Established Relationship, F/M, Internal Conflict, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-05
Updated: 2017-12-05
Packaged: 2019-02-10 22:31:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12921573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Egyptian_Queen/pseuds/Egyptian_Queen
Summary: Everyone's relationships have their problems.She just didn't think that any of their problems had been insurmountable.Apparently she'd been wrong. Now things were about to get more complicated than she ever could have imagined.





	Torn Between Two Duelists

**Author's Note:**

> I sorely debated whether I should make this a Reader/Seto, Reader/Yami fic, it just felt too awkward putting (y/n) everywhere, so if you feel so inclined please replace "Mika" with your own name. This is the first fic I've written in a long time, and I know it's pretty farfetched. Hopefully, you'll at least find it a little entertaining.

“This duel is over!” A commanding voice boomed across the dueling arena. With his usual flourish Yami Yugi accompanied the claim by jabbing his right index finger through the air towards his opponent. 

A collection of holographic projections lay between them, but on the other side was none other than the KC president and elite duelist, Seto Kaiba.

“It can’t be!” The brunette vehemently protested,”Maybe you haven’t noticed but your monsters don’t have near the same attack strength as mine, and I still have over 1000 life points left.” 

“That may be Kaiba,” A hint of a smirk tugging at his lips,”But that’s all going to change soon.”First, I activate the magic card Heavy Storm! This card destroys all magic and trap cards on the field.” He explained as he went along despite the fact that his opposition required no such reminder. 

“You’ve got to do better than that,” Kaiba sneered as he reluctantly moved his face down cards to his graveyard.

“Next I activate Riryoku! That allows me to half the attack of your monster and give that attack to one of my own and I choose.. your Blue-Eyes White Dragon! “

“Not my Blue-Eyes!" Kaiba protested as his strongest monster grew weaker.

Yami continued his speech unimpeded “...And I’ll add it’s attack to my Dark Magician!”. The points allocated to where they needed to as he spoke. “Next, I activate one final spell card. That’s my Diffusion Wave Motion! Now, my monster must attack all of your monsters!” A chuckle escaped his lips. “... and I think you know what that means. Dark Magician use DARK MAGIC ATTACK.. destroy ALL his monsters and strip him of his remaining life points!”

As the Dark Magician raised his wand aloft, Kaiba knew the end was near. There was nothing he could activate in either his hand, graveyard or.. thanks to Yugi’s Heavy Storm card the field. He braced himself for the impact that was coming before....

.... bolting upright in bed gasping as if he had been the one under the assault and not his monsters. “No.... “ he said shakily. “ I can’t even defeat Yugi in my dreams!” In a fit of frustration he slammed his fists into the bedspread. 

“Seto...?” A feminine voice spoke up, barely more than a whisper. Her form was tucked in neatly under the covers beside him, but as soon as she could rouse herself she propped herself up on one elbow and turned to the side to face him. “What.... is it?” Still not quick awake, she gazed up at him with half-lidded eyes.

“It’s nothing..” Kaiba lied his voice taking on a gruff and evasive timber. 

Not buying it, the woman pressed him. “Is it that dream again..?” At the mere mention of it, Seto’s eyes grew colder. It was bad enough to have his subconscious holding him back, but to have an audience for it was worse.

“Look just drop it, alright..” 

Sensing his agitation, she raised herself up to his level, modesty prompted her to hold the blankets over her chest. “If that’s what you want.” Though there was some reluctancy on her part to let the subject drop. She knew what he was like, and that he had always been this way but she couldn’t help wanting to play a larger role in his life, to have him really trust and confide in her. Still, maybe there was something she could do to take his mind off his troubles, if only temporarily. 

“It is.” Seto affirmed, trying to wear a mask of indifference to the nightmare that had awoken him in the first place.

Gently, the woman reached over to brush a few stray hairs to the side of his face, before leaning in to steal a chaste kiss. A classic case of testing the waters. When he didn’t refuse her advances, she decided to escalate things. Letting go of the sheets, they slid slowly down her body eventually exposing her. Placing a hand to his chest, she traced a path down over his abs still wondering how someone who played card games and ran a multi million dollar company ever found time to work out. With her other hand she cupped the side of his face, and went in for another kiss. This time she could feel a smirk form under her lips, maybe that meant her distraction was working. 

It wasn’t long before her affections were being reciprocated. Wordlessly, and forcefully, Seto put his arms around her and pulled her tightly against him. Just the sudden feeling of his skin being pressed against hers was enough for a muffled moan to escape her lips. Whether it was on the field or in the bedroom, Seto Kaiba was competitive. He wasn’t going to allow himself to out done in his own bedroom. His hands greedily roved the length of her body, his fingers pressed tightly against her skin.

After a flurry of kisses, Kaiba trailed his lips down to her neck, his tongue flicking out intermittently, his breath being expelled in hot bursts. All the sensations were driving her crazy, her body seeming to move on it’s own as she lifted herself on top of his lap. The motion was instantly countered, as he took control, forcing them both backwards, and pinning her beneath him. “You should have known better than to attempt that..” He challenged, a devilish light glinting in his steel blue eyes. In spite of herself, she had to chuckle, never really understanding why he had to feel in control of everything. Hadn’t she been the one to initiate this in the first place, not him?

As a sort of punishment he ground his hips downward causing her breath to catch in her throat. The nightmare had nearly been forgotten entirely, replaced with pleasure, however that was not to last. Struggling for air, the woman made a tragic and unfortunate error. “What does it matter if you can’t beat Yugi Mutou?” The moment she said it, she instantly regretted it. She had been trying to help him forget his troubles not relive them but was so caught up was she in the moment she hadn’t been able to stop herself.

She felt his body go completely stiff, his eyes grew unfocused. Those few little words had broken him. Hopefully he wouldn’t be completely unhinged. As for herself, all she could do was lie there, awkwardly like a dead fish, his body still had her trapped there. 

“S-eto?” She hesitantly spoke, lightly placing a hand to one of his forearms. Finally he shifted, and removed himself from her person. Getting out of bed, he robotically threw on a bath robe, before reaching for a pile of clothes that had been strewn haphazardly on the floor. Once he grasped the items, he threw them towards the bed and onto the woman’s face. 

“Get your crap, and get out!” 

There was no softening of his tone, no backpedaling. His words were harsh and cutting, right to the core. Dumbstruck she laid there a few moments, confused, exposed, and feeling used. Her sweat mixed with the surrounding air made her feel chilly but she couldn’t even seem to shiver. It was all over? From one stupid question, asked at an inappropriate time? She’d given him everything, and now he was throwing it all away. 

“NOW!” He boomed, hopefully not loud enough to wake his little brother who resided just a room or so over and didn’t know about Seto’s ‘extracurricular’ activities.

Scrambling, she pulled the clothes off of her head, and rolled over until she was in a seated position. Then, feeling the heat rushing to her skin as she had to dress before him, as his angered gaze never left her. “Seto... I.. didn’t say that to hurt you. You have to know that..”

“Save it...” He practically growled. 

She’d never felt more violated as she did in this moment. Once she finished pulling on her clothes, she got off the bed and made one last attempt to reason with him. “I just didn’t want to see you agonizing over that guy..”

“One more word, and I’ll have Roland escort you out...” Knowing that having their rendezvous revealed to anyone would have shattered her further. “.. and he’s not as nice as I am”. Without another word and fighting the tears that threatened to pool at the corners of her eyes she ran from the room, never to darken her lover’s doorway again. 

===================================

Months later... at the World Championship

===================================

“Here’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for,” Kaiba in his iconic blue eyes inspired white jacket was addressing a collection of the most dedicated nerds his competition tended to assemble. He held the microphone near his lips as he revved up the crowd of potential competitors. “The moment where one of you, could be crowned the next King of Games!” Ha. Yeah right. There was only one person allowed to swipe that title from Yugi and it was Seto Kaiba himself, at least from his perspective. 

“So get out there, and show me if any of you have what it takes!” With that he left the stage with that unique dramatic flair that he always exhibited. That was all for show. While he fully intended to utterly destroy Yami this time. there was still something nagging him in the pit of his heart. 

“Great job, big bro!” Mokuba called, running up to his older brother and offering him a wide grin. Strangely, Seto didn’t even seem to notice him. That prompted the boy to wave his hands and add,” Heeeelllo, Earth to Seto. What’s eating you?” After a moment’s pause. “Or are you just thinking about what cards to play against Yugi?”

Finally, Seto looked down an acknowledged that his brother was there. “No, it’s not that... there’s just something on my mind.” Despite the lack of their public appearances together, Mika had never missed one of his matches. It was strange not seeing her in her usual position in the crowd. Still, he looked out over the masses all the same like he was surveying his kingdom. Why should she be here? They hadn’t spoken a word to one another since he’d ejected her from his house with those callous words.

Ugh, why was he even thinking of her now? Pressing a few fingers to his face he tried to hold himself together. What was this strange hold she had over him? The only person he’d ever allowed into his life, other than his brother and she was gone. Good riddance, he thought to himself though he didn’t mean it. Over the last few months he’d tried to contact her, but suddenly her number had changed, she’d altered her daily routine, and she had gone out of her way to stay out of his reach.

“Uh... Seto? Are you feeling alright?” Mokuba chimed in, breaking through his internal turmoil. 

“Yes Mokuba... I’m fine.” He stressed the word fine a little more than he should have. Dropping his hand to his side, a gasp escaped his lips. He’d caught sight of a familiar face in the crowd. Was it even possible, or was he just hallucinating, seeing what he wanted to see? There among the rabble was Mika. No doubt about it. 

What was shocking to him were the dweebs she was standing with.

Mokuba tried to follow his brother’s gaze, which wasn’t easy given their difference in heights. “Oh hey! That’s Yugi and his friends isn’t it? You had to know they’d all be here.” Unlike Seto, Mokuba genuinely sounded pleased to see them.

With a huff, Kaiba turned his back on the crowd, his coat fluttering around him as he expelled a quick insult,”Let’s just hope Wheeler is housetrained by now..”. Yeah, it made no sense and was one of his weakest one liners yet but he needed to deflect Mokuba from the real source of his problems. The hell was she doing palling around with his arch-rival...?

=====================================

The championships flew by in a breeze. The duels were fierce and the contestants were animated. All and all it was turning out to be one of the most thrilling competitions Kaiba had ever held.. ah but all good things must come to an end. It all came down to this. The final two.

The moment that Seto Kaiba would finally reclaim the title for himself.

Disconcertingly, he had seen the geek squad at everyone one of Yugi’s matches, and everytime.. Mika was was with them. Did loyalty mean nothing? How long had it taken her to fall in with their lot? Maybe she was doing this all to get one last stab at him, in some twisted way to ruin his chances at beating his longterm rival. 

Well, that wasn’t going to happen. Not now. He’d worked too long and too hard on perfecting his deck. He’d show her, he’d show them all. Nothing could ruin this moment for him.

Okay, having to meet with his opponent and endure his “friends” before the duel was a little off putting and it meant having to be within arms length of the traitoress ex girlfriend. Mika’s deep green eyes managed to capture the rays of the bright sunlight, making them sparkle with an intensity that nearly stopped him in his tracks. 

No. What the hell was he thinking? She was just some girl. Just some stupid, backstabbing girl! Shaking the thoughts from his mind he stopped before the group. The usual players were there, Joey, Tristan, Tea, and Yugi. This was actually light for him. “What, was Devlin too busy finding a new way to rip off Duel Monsters to attend?” He left Mai out of it.

“Oh hey there Kaiba,” Yugi exclaimed in a chipper tone that grated on Kaiba’s last nerves. Just bring out your other personality already, so we can duel.

“It’s about time rich boy!” Joey chimed in,”Ready for Yug to wipe the floor wit’ ya?

“Yeah sure... that’ll happen.” With a shrug he debated not retorting at all but he just couldn’t resist putting this dog in his place. “Just you watch Wheeler. This duel is going to be a blood bath but it’s not going to be my blood that’s spilled.” 

“Easy now guys,” Tea played peacemaker,”Save something for the Duel.” 

“You know he’s right though Kaiba. Yugi hasn’t lost a duel to you yet.” Tristan supported his blond haired cohort whole heartedly. 

“Can it.” Seto couldn’t help but notice that one of their lot wasn’t speaking. Against his better judgement his eyes flitted over to Mika. She looked aside towards Tea, Yugi and the others to avoid his gaze. The exchange was enough to get Yugi’s attention.

“Oh that’s right!” Yugi proudly exclaimed.”I don’t think you two have met before! This is Mika, a newer friend of ours.” 

“Look, it doesn’t matter to me who she is.” Playing it off as coolly as possible. “All your entourage does is delay things... let’s get this duel started.”

It was at this moment that Mika would finally face him, her expression was unreadable and his eyes fixated on hers a little longer than would be normal for two strangers. “Best of luck in your duel Se- Kaiba”. She nearly forgot herself and used his first name. Then she looked to Yugi. “And to you Yugi.” 

What was she playing at here?!

“Right..” Was all he could think to reply before the two duelists moved to their respective positions. That peculiar change came over Yugi as he prepared to shuffle his deck. 

“Alright Kaiba, let’s see how you’ve improved.” Oh, it was insulting. Like somehow Yugi was the master and Kaiba was the student. How he would enjoy wiping the smug look off his pointy haired head.

====================================  
Insert Epic Battle Here  
====================================

“Oh no, Yugi!” Tea exclaimed, clutching her hands before her.

“Say it ain’t so Yug’ “ Joey lamented.

“This has to be some kind of nightmare..” Tristan added as the once proud king of games, fell to one knee, a shocked expression plastered to his face.

In a rugged, strained voice Yami expressed his own surprise,” I.. .can’t believe it.... you... finally did it. You beat me?” It came out as more of a question than an admission as he glanced up towards Kaiba.

A peel of laughter emanating from Kaiba’s side of the field, his arms outstretched as he gloated over his fallen prey. “FINALLY. Now everyone will see what a phoney you are. The real Duel Monsters champion is me!” The psychotic laughter continued as he relished every moment.

Breaking from the group, Mika climbed up the stairs on Yami’s side of the field. She crouched down at his side and reached out to help steady him, whispering some words of encouragement that were lost on the others. Yami’s expression finally relaxed, in fact he even seemed to smile as he looked over at her. One of his hands reached for hers.

That was when the laughter stopped. Kaiba glowered over at the pair of them, how dare she rob him of this moment. The one she knew he’d been working towards for all this time. A swirl of emotions pounded within his chest. Triumph, Anger, Pride, Jealousy, all of the big ones. What sort of relationship did she share with the “former” King of games, and why did it matter so much to him.

He filtered out the jeers from Yugi’s fanclub. Who cared about them. He was the best, and now everyone would have to recognize it. 

================================================

The competitors and their companions had to filter out of the duel arena through the same corridors. Yugi and his friends went on ahead but that green eyed girl made the mistake of leaving something behind. In her haste to go and retrieve it, Mika ended up running into Kaiba as he was exiting. 

“Oh!... Excuse me, I just need to grab something and I’ll be...” but she was abruptly cut off.

Grabbing her by the wrist, he pushed her against the nearest wall, a yelp followed. 

Tilting his head to one side, he made that decision here and now to take back one more thing that Yugi had tried to steal from him. His brilliant blue eyes met hers as he leaned in to force a passionate kiss to her lips. What he didn’t expect was resistance, but that’s what he got. Mika had placed both hands to his chest and attempted to shove him backwards, to little avail. 

When the kiss broke, he stayed close leaning in to whisper in her ear. “It’s over. I’ve finally defeated my greatest rival....”

Swallowing hard, Mika replied,”I don’t see what any of that has to do with me. Not now..” Yet being in this close proximity she could still recall what had drawn her to him in the first place. Mika had always admired his confidence, his drive and his passion but if he thought he could just come back into her life he had another thing coming. 

Drawing back, he used his free hand to tilt her chin upwards. “Don’t you? With Yugi finished, there’s nothing to stand in our way.”

Fidgeting against him, she tried not to think of those heated nights or the way he made her whole body tingle, and yearn for his warmth.“I think you might be certifiably insane.”

To that he laughed once more. “Come now.. don’t tell me it’s a coincidence that you started hanging out with those nerds.. you wanted a winner, and now you have one.” That was the only thing that made this situation make any sense in Kaiba’s mind.

Exhaling in frustration, Mika tried to set him straight. “I told you before.. I didn’t care if you beat Yugi or not but you misinterpreted it!” 

Not sure that he was convinced by her assertion, he leaned in to nuzzle her neck, he could feel her pulse racing, it wouldn’t take much to win her back. 

Part of her wanted to see where this went, but she knew that it was wrong, and that she’d moved on with her life. “Seto... it’s over. It’s been over... “ Still trying to slide out of his grasp. “I’m.. with someone else.” 

For some reason he still wasn’t willing to let go, and Mika’s agitation went soaring. She wasn’t able to overpower him, and it’s not like she had a cell phone with her. Seto moved back just enough to level a stare at her. “Tell me it’s not Yugi...” Of all the people in all the world, not him. 

That was an easy one. “No, it’s not Yugi.” 

“Then who?”

“It’s really none of your business,” Mika professed. “Now let me go..” His grip did the opposite and tightened.

“Not until I have a name...” Not sure if he believed her in the first place. It had only been a few months time, how could she have replaced him already?

“Well.. that’s the thing... we don’t really know that yet....” Wow, that was dumb. Maybe she should have just made something up. “What’s it matter anyway? It’s not like you believe that he exists- Ow! Not so tight.. you’re really hurting me..” She cried out when he twisted her arm in response to her answer.

“Then it is Yugi!” Seto’s anger flared up anew. “The one person I despise more than anyone in the world, and that’s who you decided to..” Oh, he couldn’t even finish the statement. “What lengths wouldn’t you stoop to get back at me!?”

“Not everything is about you!” Mika retorted. 

Finally, she felt his hands falls from her body, and she was able to move. “I....just...why?” His voice sounding shaky for once.

“.... Because he trusts me, confides in me, and let’s me into his life.” That was putting it simply enough. “He never tried to hide that I existed from anyone, he never treated me coldly, or stomped on my emotions whenever it suited him...” Sure, things were complicated because Yami happened to be sharing a body with Yugi, but she wasn’t going to go into that. Their relationship had to be rather platonic at this point. There’s no way either one of them would go beyond that and risk traumatizing Yugi. Perhaps that’s why a part of her had melted at Kaiba’s touch.

Kaiba was silent as she explained, his eyes cast downward to the ground. Then a wicked thought came into his mind... and he slowly looked back towards her, a sneer on his lips. “Big mistake. You’ve made... the biggest mistake.”

She drew away from him instinctively. 

“He won’t think much of you when I tell him about us...” 

“Wrong again..” A voice trumpeted from the shadows. With a few deliberate steps, Yami emerged from the shadows and stepped into the dim back stage lighting. “She told me all about what transpired between the two of you....and I never held it against her.” Mika had been taking too long to retrieve one item, and Yami had been concerned, now he knew those concerns were justified. “Kaiba, you may have won in the dueling arena today, but that is a temporary victory... what you’ve lost is far greater.”

Mika blushed slightly at the insinuation. To think that someone would value her companionship over a children’s card game. That was why she cared for Yami so dearly.

“You’re just saying that because you’re no longer the King of Games..” Kaiba interjected, trying to hold on to any semblance of control over this whole mess.

“Believe what you will Kaiba, but know this.. threaten Mika again, or interfere in her life in any way... and you’ll be dealing with me.” Once the threats were made, Yami moved over towards Mika gently taking her hand into his. “Are you alright?”

“Mm.” She said with a nod and a smile,”I am now.” The two turned to leave.

“Wait.” Kaiba called after them. The two reluctantly paused. “What was it that you told him out there....?”

Turning to face him one last time she proudly stated. “I love you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Well, that's it! I actually have some more ideas for this plotline, so if you're interested in seeing more please let me know. (I don't think we've seen the last of Seto Kaiba for one~, and with Yugi and Yami inhabiting the same body that's sure to cause complications for Mika and Yami, Also I plan to flesh out Mika more as a character and maybe explain how she even knows about the Pharaoh, and she still has to deal with her lingering feelings for Seto... etc etc). 
> 
> Thank you for your time and I look forward to any comments this might receive! <3
> 
> >///< Kya! I can't believe I'm about to hit the Post button or that I wrote something like this. Also, I know it kinda has a rushed ending but it was originally intended as a one shot.


End file.
